NEW YORK: May 28, 2012Dioceses of the Russian Church Abroad Mark the Fifth Anniversary of the Reestablishment of Unity Within the Russian Orthodox Church

The fifth anniversary of the reestablishment of unity within the Russian Orthodox Church was celebrated in the dioceses of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia with molebens of gratitude and pannikhidas for His Holiness Patriarch Alexy II and His Eminence Metropolitan Laurus. His Eminence Archbishop Kyrill of San Francisco and Western America sent a special epistle on this occasion and issued an ukase on celebrating church unity in his parishes.

The Eastern American Diocese performed a pannikhida on May 16, 2012, at the tomb of Metropolitan Laurus of blessed memory, and the following day, Divine Liturgy was concelebrated by archpastors and clergymen of the diocese and of the Patriarchal Parishes in the USA, as reported by the website of the former.

The parishes of other dioceses likewise performed divine services to mark the anniversary with the blessing of their ruling bishops.